1929 |
Born to teacher Alberta King and Baptist minister Michael Luther King. |
1944 |
Graduates from high school at age 15 and enters Morehouse College. |
1951 |
Receives degree from Crozer Theological Seminary. |
1953 |
Marries Coretta Scott, a music student at New England Conservatory; they eventually have four children. |
1954 |
Becomes minister of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL. |
1955 |
Receives Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Boston University; leads boycott of segregated Montgomery buses and gains national reputation. |
1956 |
King's house is bombed; U.S. Supreme Court ruling prompts Montgomery to desegregate buses. |
1957 |
King helps found Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). |
1958 |
Writes about the bus boycott in Stride Toward Freedom. |
1959 |
Visits India to study nonviolence and civil disobedience. |
1960 |
Joins his father as co-pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. |
1963 |
Arrested and jailed during anti-segregation protests in Birmingham; writes Letter from Birmingham City Jail arguing that individuals have the moral duty to obey unjust laws. Delivers "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington. |
1964 |
Publishes Why We Can't Wait; Congress passes Civil Rights Act of 1964 which outlaws segregation in public accommodations and discrimination in education and employment. Receives Nobel Peace Prize. |
1965 |
King and SCLC join voting-rights march from Selma to Montgomery; police beat and tear gas marchers; King addresses rally before state capitol, builds support for voting rights. Congress passes Voting Rights Act of 1965 which suspends literacy tests and other restrictions to prevent blacks from voting. |
Mid 1960s |
King's growing opposition to the Vietnam War angers President Johnson and prompts many white activists to switch to anti-war activities. |
1966 |
King's influence was declining, especially among young blacks. King turns towards economic issues; SCLC moves civil rights struggle to the North; opens Chicago office to organize protests against housing and employment discrimination. |
1967 |
King plans Poor People's Campaign; advocates redistribution of wealth to eradicate black poverty; publishes Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community. |
1968 |
King is assassinated in Memphis during a visit to support striking black garbage collectors; violent riots erupt in more than 100 U.S. cities. |